Skyline
by candelight
Summary: Last of the Curious Turtle Tot fictions! Leo has been told since the day he was born what has been denied him. If for one night, Splinter hopes to show him-if cloaked in darkness-something precious.


Skyline

Last of the Curious Turtle Tot fictions! Leo has been told since the day he was born what has been denied him. If for one night, Splinter hopes to show him-if cloaked in darkness-something precious.

_Quote:_

_Another place, another time,  
where dreams are explained,  
and the past well defined._

_Then, and only then,  
will meanings start to unfold.  
Topics you have in question,  
answers will now be told._

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Poke, poke.

Leo murmured sleepily, and delved deeper into the warmth of the blankets. It was still dark out.

Mikey was probably trying to play a trick on him or something.

Poke, poke.

Why wouldn't Mikey stop?

And who-if not his youngest brother-was poking him on the head?

Poke, poke.

Well....it would be silly to keep the false facrade up. Leo managed a soft sigh, and turned slightly, squinting in the darkness.

A pair of dark, slightly amused eyes met his, and he was swiftly pulled into a hug.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. And Happy Birthday."

----

Leo yawned, and dug his fist into his eyes as Splinter gently wrapped a cloak around his shoulders.

"Sei....Sei....thanks....but why-?" he yawned again.

Splinter put a finger at his mouth, motioning that Leo should do the same.

"Try not to wake your brothers, little one. We are...going out."

----

Leo was abruptly more awake as he nervously clung to his Master's shoulders while Splinter climbed up a rusty ladder. Leo had never been a fan of heights, and although he had

been too nervous to ever tell Splinter this, they made him somewhat nauseated.

A cool breeze whipped past his face as Splinter drew back the manhole, eyes scanning the location.

No. No human scents nearby....just a stray cat or two stalking the alleys.

Splinter tugged at his hand.

"Come along, young one."

----

"Sensei.....how come we've been walking for so-"

But all the rat did was smile, and tug Leo around a tree.

----

Leo had read about hills before-and seen them in picture books.

But actually being on one-the boy was skipping, a smile on his lips, and his heart at an excited pace.

Splinter's smile was somewhat fixed.

His heart felt somewhat heavy. He had been to this park many times, alongside his Master Yoshi, but the children....

He shook his head as they finally neared the top, squinting slightly in the darkness.

The little turtle blinked, looking bemused.

"Um...Sensei? What is...?"

But they didn't have long to wait as Dawn slowly broke out over the world.

The sky in the opposite direction was still dark, in direct contrast to the ink spattered world before them- but in the east, a mixture of yellow and orange-as if a painter had been

shading marigolds-was on the horizon beneath a dark, neon blue ocean of night that had at last begun to evaporate-but the deep, cool color still had stars speckled about it, like a

faint work of Michelangelo.

Not his brother Michelangelo-whose drawings often consisted of dinosaurs attacking New York-but Leo digressed, eyes wide. Splinter glanced at him, squeezing his son's hand.

Against the tri-colored rainbow sky, trees, powerlines, and the roofs of nearby houses were like shadows, overstretched and overlapping into itself, like watery, berry black ink.

The clock tower began to chime, but Leo's face was still fixed upon the horizon, eyes bright.

About twenty minutes later, the sunrise had become even more-if possible, dazzling, as if Tinker Bell herself had been skirting about, leaving golden dust as as the sun peeked over

the horizon, dust particles in the air becoming radiant. The sky had now become a blushing shade of salmon pink-the clouds actually representing a sea like mass of cotton candy,

with the light of the sun coloring the clouds above with a somewhat violet hue-as if some of the darker particles in the world were a little reluctant to shatter nightfall.

As the sun slowly ascended, the sky in the west became a deep neon blue as the light's reached further out, the violet turned to a faint purple-like that of an iris before slowly

churning and diluting away, into a faint, scrappy fragment of white.

Pink too, had slowly died away from the earth, and had become a pale yellow in the clouds.

A hawk screeched as she rushed past on a warmer gust of wind, circling slightly before heading out to the distance-a tiny speck on the horizon before she was

going....going.....gone.

Splinter pulled the spellbound turtle onto his lap, hugging him with a gentle mockery.

"Well, my son, what did you think?" asked Splinter.

Leo couldn't speak-but the rat seemed to understand as he scooped Leo up on his shoulders, drawing a cloak over the two of them before quietly shuffling away into the woods,

eyes searching for the park manhole.

"Mas'er Spwiner-can ya put me down for a minute?"

Surprised, the rat obliged, lowering the turtle to the ground for a moment as Leo began to rifle through the grass.

Ah! Here was one! It was a pretty blue color-and it was speckled.

It didn't look much like a rock...more like a piece of plaster. Leo frowned.

"Master....what's this?"

The rat frowned, squinting at the piece slightly.

"A robin's eggshell, my son. Some chicks must have hatched recently."

Leo smiled, and carefully took the shell back, hoping his tri fingered hands wouldn't break the fragile piece.

As Splinter slid the sewer grate open, Leo closed his eyes, and allowed Splinter to lower him in.

If you had to go back into Darkness, might as well take some light with you.


End file.
